Well, troops are needed elsewhere, and it is looking less and less likely that war between the North and the South will breakout at a moment’s notice. Perhaps we really don’t need troops on the DMZ that are “ready to fight tonight:”
US officers said the headquarters of the Eighth Army, the overall US Army command unit in Seoul, would move to Hawaii by 2012. In addition, the headquarters of the Second Infantry Division, which has only one ground combat brigade instead of the usual three or four, will leave Korea even though its destination has not yet been decided.
About 27,000 US troops are currently posted in Korea. That number will soon decline to 25,000 and keep on dropping gradually, probably to fewer than 20,000. Those troops are needed elsewhere in an Army that is stretched thin by deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Moreover, US officers contend that South Korean forces should take charge of defending their own country from their potential enemy in North Korea. Some assert that the Koreans have long shirked that duty and thus have not prepared themselves to take over the communications, intelligence, and logistics essential to large-scale operations.
For that reason, US officers said, units like the 1st Signal Brigade, which provides strategic and tactical communications; the 501st Military Intelligence Brigade, which gets information for commanders; and the 19th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), which is the logistic arm of Eighth Army, will remain in Korea after 2012.
This plan isn’t new, it has been in the works since the last South Korean president, Roh Moo-hyun, sought to reach out to the North and take over more of the defense responsibility. The US, with other security matters at hand, apparently had no problem with this request. Now (according to the column) the South is seeking to reach out to us to slow our troop withdrawal plan, which is being rebuffed by a military that is stretched thin, and sees little need for another unaccompanied hardship tour.
This reminds me of the Germany situation, where we dramatically reduce our force projection due to changing policies of a host nation, only to turn around and see them seek to slow the withdrawal. Military bases are an economic stimulator –look at Fayetteville, NC or Sierra Vista, AZ –and the consequences of moving them must be carefully weighed. Critics of US basing overseas seem to be loudly wishing the military to leave, and then getting upset when they do.
When I was stationed in Korea in the early 80′s we knew we were nothing but a speed bump to the commies. Just a trip wire to prevent the N. Koreans from coming south.
I agree with withdrawing the Army out of Korea, I think we should keep one air base there,just in case. And we could use some of those troops on our southern border.
What ever happened to the plan to move Eighth Army headquarters to Pyuntaek, Camp Humphries? Recently there were demonstrations because of land taking in the Pyunteak area.
If the United States is moving out, why build a new headquarters for U.S. Forces Korea?
As one who was based in CONUS, and only deployed to W. Germany during Reforger ’84, my view is, I suppose, a bit different.
During my short stay in WG, I was given the nazi salute 3 times, shot at once (more than likely with blanks), and given the finger numerous times.
The Germans and the Koreans can have their countries – good riddence. They’re impacted economically by out leaving? Good.
It’s bad enough that Americans are poo-poo’ing today’s troops, we don’t need some moronic european or korean doing the same.
They don’t want us, fine. We have bigger fish to fry.
Having just come from Korea I can tell you that it is not the Koreans who want this change-it is coming from the US side.
President Ro did all of this to score political points and the ROK JCS was horrified. Now that there is a new President-the ROKs are slowly but surely backing away from that position-much to the chagrin of USFK.
For the Koreans-keeping the status quo is the way to go. They are not prepared the money required to exercise operational control of their forces in wartime. And they are not doing what it takes to close the gap.
This plan has been in the works,at least in the talking stages,since the 80s, at least. The ROKs knew then that they needed us more as a symbol that they were not alone, but for their own people, for the commies, and for the japs and the Red Chinese; one MI Battalion Commander I served under told me that he was told by a ROK colleague that the last US miltary personnel in South Korea (not assigned to the embassey) would be an MI Geek.
The biggest thing keeping us there has been inertia.
Why not trade a slow-down in the pace of the withdrawal for additional troop commitments from the ROK for Afghanistan/Iraq? Their troops could get some battle experience to put to good use back home.
They could contribute something more than “humanitarian” troops and construction workers to Iraq. There are some elite combat troops in the ROK that have probably…never seen combat before. Might be good for both sides.
But bottomline, we should get out as soon as possible or the S. Koreans — like the Euros — will just keep letting us do the defending while criticizing how we do it.
The ROK also allowed some mass, violent and nasty protests against the U.S. presence that pretty much soured me on any further investment into ROK security. They are a rich, healthy country now, fully capable of ensuring their own defense.
As for the economic downturn that accompany a base closure, that’s the consequence of alienating the country that’s trying to protect you. They’ll adjust.
I’ve spent six years on the Korean peninsula and served under a couple of different MACOMs during that time. So I’ve some experience and insight when it comes to this particular issue.
First off, this article is chock full of inaccuracies and leaves the reader with a very inaccurate perception of what is really going on.
Yes, Eighth Army headquarters will likely move to Hawaii which will take many uniformed servicemembers off the peninsula. They will be the bloated bureaucratic staffs that serve little or no purpose in peacetime Korea anyway. These aren’t your “meat-eater” types, they are the staffs with majors and lieutenant colonels who spend much of their days making coffee and making Powerpoint slides. USFK headquarters will still remain though, and that’s the important part, since they are the ones that bring together the ROKs, and the other US service branches under a single unified command.
Second, the 2nd Infantry Division headquarters will leave the peninsula in name alone. Much of the division is now permanently located at Ft Lewis, Washington so it will not be surprising to see a 2ID headquarters stood up there. The current division headquarters in Korea will likely get re-flagged to another division–and my bet is that will be the 7th Infantry Division (a division that has much history in Korea and is currently inactivated). So in the end, the division headquarters will get a new name, and everyone will get a new patch, and that will be about it.
Third, there will be a move to Pyongtaek. Camp Humphreys is expanding dramatically and the Army will move the bulk of its combat power and its staffs there. USFK will relocate there as well as the division headquarters (whichever division it ends up being). These staffs will work and live in Pyongtaek, and they will start pulling three-year command sponsored tours.
Fourth, expect the combat brigades to begin six-month rotations or assignments to start lasting three years. My guess is that the six month rotation of entire units from statesidee will occur once facilities are ready in the south. This will replace the current draft-era one year tour that is currently in place in Korea that is a training-management nightmare.
So the bottom line is that there will be a realignment, but no major redeployment from Korea.
Now, comparing Korea to Europe is like comparing apples to oranges. I’ve served in both theaters and they are–socially and politically–nothing alike.
South Korea could easily defeat North Korea without our help. Only the North Korean propaganda ministry would disagree with me on this. But we aren’t there to dissuade the North Koreans. We are there to deter the Chinese. The Chinese are the big wild card in the region and our presence provides stability.
And while many think that the average Korean on the street wants us to go home, I would have to say they have an inaccurate perception of the Korean people. Most want us there (for one reason or the other). While the outgoing Roh administration was hostile to the US, his political party has recently been elected out of office and the president elect of South Korea will nurture an extremely pro-American set of policies.
Times, they be a-changin’.
Marcus